Analytical Challenges in Emergency Response to Chemical Contamination Events in Foods
Doug Heitkemper, Ph.D.
Inorganic Laboratory Branch Director
Forensic Chemistry Center
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
The FDA’s Forensic Chemistry Center (FCC) provides laboratory support and problem solving capabilities
in emergency response to events of chemical adulteration and contamination of foods.
Contamination may be intentional as in cases of product tampering, economic adulteration, and terrorism. Unintentional
contamination, such as in cases of environmental or process induced contamination, have also required emergency
response.
Typically, a broad based approach is used to initially characterize the contamination using a variety of analytical tools and
when possible provide information about the source of the contamination. Once a problem is characterized, it is often
necessary to focus the required analyses and to transfer methodology to additional laboratories.
A number of factors must be taken into account when responding to these emergencies including, for example, choice of
appropriate methodology, validation requirements, instrument availability, method complexity, and analysis time. Several
case studies encountered over the past few years will be presented including melamine in pet and human foods, Gulf of
Mexico oil spill response, and arsenic in fruit juices and rice.
Dr. Heitkemper earned a B.A. in chemistry from Wittenberg University in 1985 and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the
University of Cincinnati in 1989. That same year, he joined the FDA as a research chemist in the newly established
Forensic Chemistry Center (FCC). He spent most of the next 16 years as an analyst, researcher, and team leader
working primarily in the fields of elemental analysis, elemental speciation, and ion chromatography.
From 1998 to 2006, he served as the project officer on several Interagency Agreements with the U.S. EPA developing
methodology to measure individual arsenic species in a variety of foods in support of drinking water regulation. In 2006,
he was selected as the Inorganic Laboratory Branch Director. FCC is an ASCLD accredited crime laboratory, which has
also become recognized as a leading problem solving laboratory for FDA. The Forensic Center provides national support
in cases of product tampering or adulteration, counterfeit food and drug products, illegal or unapproved drugs, and
fraudulent foods, drugs or medical devices.
FCC counter terrorism related responsibilities have included development of screening methods for select agents, toxins
and poisons for use in FDA field laboratories and FERN laboratories. Dr. Heitkemper is currently a member of the FDA
Office of Foods and Veterinary Medicine’s Science and Research Steering Committee and serves as the Chair of the
Chemistry Methods Validation Subgroup. He recently was named to the ACRA’s Advisory Council on Food /Feed.